I just received a HL627 that I purchased from E-Bay, and it arrived with a broken arm Now I have to go through the process of collecting the Insurance from USPS.I have never had a HL break in shipping that I bought or sold. Does anyone have any idea how long this process takes? Im sure glad that I purchased the insurance. Ron

The one and only time that I put a claim against the Post Office it took 2 1/2 months to get the money. Of course that could have been the exception against the norm but that was 2 months too long for me. I ship either UPS or Fed EX and have only had one claim for breakage about 2 years ago. It took 10 days to get my money. As far as I'm concerned the extra 2-3 dollars to ship UPS/Fed EX is well spent.

What proof do you have that the piece was not broken when it was shipped to you?

I'd say you are due an immediate refund from the SELLER who PAID for the insurance and should be the one to COLLECT for the insurance. In effect, it is the SHIPPER who is being insured, not the recipient, against breakage or loss.

Check with the USPS, but I think that YOU cannot collect on the insurance, only the SHIPPER who bought the insurance can.

Contact ebay first.

Ron,

I agree with John. the shipper is responsible that's why you have insurance.

You should contact the seller before you go to Ebay, though. Quite often if you directly contact someone they will take care of the problem. you should give the seller this courtesy.

I've sold a number of things on ebay and half.com and I have had a small number of problems and I've found that wehter you are the buyer or the seller going to the other person in the transaction first usually works best.

Dennis

I did send two E-mails already to the seller, so far no responce ( I will keep you posted) My Postmaster told me that the buyer and seller and the two post offices have to complete a form in order to collect the insurance I hope they had enough insurance to cover the $15.00 shipping cost.

In all the years I've been collecting and dealing with Harbour Lights, only two pieces were damaged. One was an Anchor Bay "Tori Dawn" I purchased and wasn't packed properly. The glass case was smashed and the boat looked like someone stepped on it. The seller immediately credited my credit card.

The other piece was a Fort Niagara that I sold. The buyer told me the ventilator ball was broken off and it appeared the lantern room had pushed through the top of the box. The USPS must have used that package for "field goal" practice in order to cause that to happen. It was insured and the buyer was paid.

Bob

if you pay by credit card, you can contact the credit card company with your problem. Usually, they won't bill you until the issue is resolved.

contact the seller he has to start the process paperwork with his post office he has to prove the value of the item. tell him to use a copy of the ad from ebay they accept that no questions asked, then he mails the paperwork to you and you finish the process.

you are lucky it was broken and not missing, it takes a 90 day waiting period before the process can start.

Ditto what JC and Dennis have said. Also, the shipper is going to have to show that they packed the product according to USPS specifications. If it wasn't, then I'm afraid a less than favorable decision is going to be made for the shipper, and possibly you. I do hope it all turns out in the end!

Tim

OK here's what happened. I took the piece to my post office they looked at it and the box. The post master and myself seem to think that the piecs was broken before it was shipped? The box is in perfect shape and there is no dents or any marks on the styrofoam that covers the top half of the piece. If the piece was broken then shipped who would know but the shipper? Anyway the claim was processed and I will have to wait about 60days to receive a check.

Ron,

That stinks! I still think the seller should refund your money, but apparently they are not responding to you.

They should wait the 60 days for the money. It seems you have run into a less than honest ebay seller.

I can only say that the few times I have had problems with the items I've sold on ebay (most were music cd's) I just sent the person a refund.

I used self insurance- I offered insured shipment, but never paid the USPS insurance. I sent out aproximately 700 packages over the last 1 1/2 and had about 150 ask for the insurance and I had less than 10 claims.

That may be because I packed things correctly and am an honest ebay seller/buyer as most are.

I've been lucky- I never had any problems with items I have purchased on ebay. None were lost, none came damaged. The only complaint I've had is that the items might not have been in quite the advertised condition- but that's subjective.

I'd keep trying to contact the seller, but I wouldn't hold much hope for a response.

Dennis

If The plastic bag was placed over the arm of the liberty when it was returned to the box, the arm is broken off as the top is pushed down. This is a well known problem for this item and if you ever watch Bill at a signing he explains it to every customer who brings in a Liberty to be signed. Perhaps the item was not broken when shipped, or at least the seller didn't know that it was broken.

Jim,

I didn't know that. You could be right. roy mentioned earlier that he had not gotten a response from the seller- that led me to believe the seller might not be the best.

I always feel as the seller it's my responibility to make it right for anyone who has a problem.

Dennis

Was it a clean break? If you were to place the arm back into its intended position, do the two pieces fit exactly as it was when it was one? Are there any small chips in the box that would indicate it came apart while in the box and not before?

Bob